Artist-to-Artist

Good Morning and Welcome to Artist-to-Artist.

Today we have with us Janet Deskins from Port Charlotte, FL, United States

Aloramyst: In your opinion what is art?

Janet: Art is an inner expression of what you feel inside, but can also help others to express their dreams and passions, but through the artist’s ability.

Aloramyst: Who or what first introduced you to creating art?

Janet: In the 4th grade, I had a project and my father was my inspiration as an artist and my first drawing was of the state of Florida, in a typographical form. That was many, many years ago.

Aloramyst: Why did you choose to create in this choice of medium?

Janet: I actually love to draw my artwork, but with the age of computers and ability to use so many software formats, the computer/digital media helps me to express myself faster and create many more designs that satisfy my customer demands.

Aloramyst: What software programs have you experimented with? And which is your favorite?

Janet: Sadly, I still fall back on Microsoft Photodraw (I know – it crashes all the time and is so old), but I use Photoshop a lot more now. I have tried Bryce, but since I am an impatient person, Photoshop is my preference, right now.

Aloramyst: What inspires and motivates you to create?

Janet: My customers inspire me by asking me to create designs for them. Sometimes the most simple designs are what they want. I also get inspiration from my miniature dachshund – he’s just so cute.

Aloramyst: Who is your favorite artist? What is it about their work that you love?

Janet: My favorite artist was Walt Disney. Disney is a prime example of what can happen when you let your creative ideas flow – look at all he accomplished and the impact he had on the entire world – just by drawing one simple mouse.

Aloramyst: Have you set any goals for yourself as an artist? If so, what are you working towards achieving?

Janet: As an artist, I discovered that sometimes it isn’t what I want, but what my customers want. I can spend hours and days on an intricate design that I am proud of, but if the customer wants it very simple – just fancy text and small amount of graphics, I have to conform. My achievement is being able to appease the customer without letting go of my creative nature totally.

Aloramyst: Do you create art in other mediums?

Janet: I love to paint with acrylics, sketch with pencil and pen and ink. I am also a scrapbooker, so I use all kinds of paper and other types of mediums to create pages designs for myself, but mostly for other people.

Aloramyst: Is your artwork for sale? Where can people see or purchase your artwork?

Janet: Yes, my artwork is for sale on Café Press – http://www.cafepress.com/catndog and also on Zazzle – http://www.zazzle.com/janbalaya* and http://www.zazzle.com/pres2009* . I do have other locations, but don’t spend as much time developing them just yet.

Aloramyst: What are your recommendations and/or advice to other artists?

Janet: I would like to encourage all artists to not stop your ideas from flowing onto that canvas, piece of paper or computer. Whatever format you like to use, don’t suppress your creative side. It’s a part of who you are and since we all have different talents, it’s wonderful to see so many types of creativity out there.

Aloramyst: Is there anything about being an artist that you would like to know more about?

Janet: A friend of mine told me about Wacom Artists Tablets – I am anxious to get one, or something similar and be able to transfer my hand drawn designs to my products.

Aloramyst: Which promotional tools have been the most effective for you?

Janet: I have outside websites and put my store links and product images on there, and also use Google Analytics. What seems to be the most effective however for me, is the promotion from within Café Press and Zazzle.

Janet Deskins –
janbalaya on Zazzle
pres2009 on Zazzle

CatnDog on Café Press

Aloramyst: Thank you for being with us here today Janet. I know what you mean about the demand for simple designs! It can be quite frustrating to see the simple ones receive so much attention, where the ones we spend a lot of time on seem to get overlooked. I wish you much success in the future!